Nutritional interventions for exercise-induced muscle damage: an umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses of randomized trials.
Level 1 - systematic review of randomized trials
Umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials
PubMed 37460208 · doi:10.1093/nutrit/nuad078
What was done
Authors conducted an umbrella review searching PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science through May 2022 for systematic reviews and meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials assessing nutritional interventions for recovery from exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD). Evidence certainty across interventions and outcomes was graded using GRADE methodology.
What was found
The review synthesized 53 meta-analyses covering 24 nutritional interventions and 10 outcomes. Moderate-certainty evidence supported: hydroxymethylbutyrate (HMB) and L-carnitine for reducing post-exercise creatine kinase; HMB for reducing lactate dehydrogenase; branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) and leaf extract for reducing delayed-onset muscle soreness; and L-carnitine, curcumin, ginseng, polyphenols, and anthocyanins for reducing general muscle soreness. The abstract reports no numerical effect sizes or confidence intervals.
Why it matters
It organizes a cluttered literature of sports supplements, identifying which common nutritional aids have synthesized meta-analytic evidence for mitigating exercise-induced soreness and biochemical markers of muscle damage.
Limits
The abstract provides no numerical effect estimates, specific dosage protocols, or timing windows. Findings reflect the quality and potential publication bias of underlying meta-analyses and trials, and evidence certainty did not exceed moderate for any intervention.